Improvement in prevention of incrustation of steam-boilers



N. B. WEBSTER & R. W.- YOUNG. PREVENTING INGRUSTATION IN STEAM BOILERS.

No. 30,511. Patented Oct. 23, 1860.

7 2);!!! M [v J auny WM) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

N. B. WEBSTER AND R. W. YOUNG, OFPORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PREVENTION OF lNCRUSTATlON 0F STEAM-BOILERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,511, dated October 23, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, NATHAN B. WEBSTE and ROBERT \V. YOUNG, of Portsmouth, in

the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia,

have invented \a new mode of preventing the deposit of scale or incrustration on the internal surfaces, of steam-boilers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereofi'rei'erence being bad to the'accompanying drawing, making part of this specification.

The nature of our invention consists in insex-ting within the steam-boilers, in such post-v tions as the structure of the boilers may fequire, rods, sheets, or other forms of some metal, which, compared with the metal of the boilers, shall be electro-negative, on which electro-ncgative metal, instead of on the boilersurt'aces as at present, the material of the scale or incrustation will be deposited in accordance with the laws of electrolysis and electro-mctallergy.

It being an established principle in electrochemistrythat when two metals stand to each other in the relation of anode and cathode, in contact with an electrolyte holding in solution any salt, electrolysis is' the result, and the base of the salt is deposited upon the cathode. As an example, to illustrate more clearly this prin ciple, we would refer to the process of electrogilding. Sea and river waters contain in solution a salt or salts, as indicated by their analyses, and'- hence are electrolytes. We therefore insert within the boiler rods, sheets, or other forms of some metalelectro-negative to the metal of the boiler, which clectro-negative metal thereby becomes a cathode, the boiler itself being the anode; consequently, in accordance with the above-stated principle, the base of the salt, which .is also the base of the scale or incrustation, is deposited on the cathode, or rods, sheets, orother forms of elec-' taro-negative metal inserted therein.

In the accompanying drawing, our inven tion is illustrated by a vertical longitudinal section of a steam-boiler of common form, A

representing the shell of the boiler; and Ba pl te ff-metal, electro-negative thereto, suspended within it beneath the water-level in such a manner as to avoid direct contact between the plate and the shell, but afl'ord metallic communication from one to the other by means of the'suspeuding-wires G,in order that the electric current may pass through the water from the shell to the suspended plate. In. the case of an iron boiler copper may be in stanced as a suitable metal for the plateB. Its area may be about two square inches to a square foOtof iron, or in such other proportion as experiencemay dictate, the relative area scriptions neither do we confine ourselves toany specific manner of connecting the negative metal with the surface or material of the boiler.

We claim as new and of our invention here in, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- Connecting with the interior of a steamboiler a metal electro-negativc to the metal 'of the boiler, substantially as and for the pur pose set forth.

NATHAN B. WEBSTER. n. YOUNG.

Witnesses:

Wm. H. WOODLEY, ANDREW J AcKsoN Dow. 

